Fierce

FierceThe Undeniable, book 3Lola Malone Copyright © 2023 Lola MaloneAll rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.ISBN-13: 9781234567890ISBN-10: 1477123456Cover design by: Art PainterLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2018675309Printed in the United States of America Before you begin… Dear reader,The Undeniable series is going one shade darker with Fierce, and I fully recommend you read Shameless so you know about the world we’re entering here—its family members, their relationships, and the challenges they’re facing. Each story in this series features a different couple, and while they will get their happy ending, the storyline itself continues in the next book. Fierce again touches multiple elements that fascinate me. As a teenager, I had a very good friend who went through deep trauma, and I’ve used parts of their behavior for Charlie. Perhaps as a tribute to our friendship, perhaps to show the world that some people might be injured, but they’re far from broken. They just need time and lots, and lots of love.And those who dearly care for the troubled ones… what a challenge. Because you want to sprinkle all your love over them, cuddle them and protect them, and make the hurt stop. Respect to those who don’t give up, who don’t let the shadows scare them away and who keep on sharing their sunrays. To me, writing fiction is creating magic. It’s what I tell my children: in our fantasy, everything’s possible. If you’re looking for a most plausible world and plot, my books won’t be for you. If you’re ready to be carried away into a world where The Business and The Void rule, and want to follow their adventures, do stay on board.I hope that you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Blurb The time has come to claim who’s mine.Charlie:I feel like I’m drowning.After my parents were executed, my life crumbled at my feet, and I can’t lose the only family member I have left. Even if it means accepting a seat within the inner circle of the Business, the crime organization I want nothing to do with. Even if it means going on a dangerous mission to earn my seat in their ranks. But when that assignment leads me to a trip down memory lane and I come face-to-face with the guy who used to be my best friend, I know that I’m being challenged to change my life, and regain my strength. I must trust the one man who seems to want to help me. The man who’s claiming my very existence.Samuel:I’m a man with a simple dream: become a martial arts instructor and claim the man I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember. The mysterious boy I worshipped from afar when we were just teenagers, the shy guy who stumbled back into my life when he joined the Business, the broken man I’m now sworn to protect. Charlie’s haunted by nightmares and horrors from his past, terrified of letting anyone in. But he won’t be able to escape me. He was always mine from the beginning.Fierce is a gritty, epic, M/M, hurt/comfort, mafia romance. It is part of the interconnected series The Undeniable, and while our boys get their HEA, the actual challenges the families are facing, continue in the next story. Please read Shameless first. This story contains dark themes, adult content, and potential triggers, though every effort was made to portray them thoughtfully and sensitively. Specific triggers (potential spoilers): violence, and substance abuse. Are you ready? PrologueThis winter was particularly brutal. Heavy snowfall had decorated the streets over the last few weeks, plunging the surroundings under a white, icy blanket. And tonight was no different. Fleeting footsteps, in secret search of one thing or another, were delicately impressed in the soft snow. As they ran around the dock in the early evening, there was little light to guide them through the maze of thousands of shipping containers that were wrapped in darkness.He had no clue how long he’d been chasing ghosts now, but his phone had died, meaning he was left without his flashlight. Meaning that this challenge had become a tricky one. After all, it wasn’t easy to search for something when you weren’t sure if it was still out there, waiting to be found. That realization fueled the increasing trepidation that crept up like fog between his ears, blurring his mind.Someone. They were searching for someone. And not just anyone, but a brother from the inner circle and one of his best friend’s obsession turned boyfriend. All this drama in the name of love. The thought made him snicker because in the romance department he had little to no experience.A creaking sound behind him nearly made him choke on his amused chuckle, immediately causing his skin to pucker with gooseflesh. He was being watched. He could feel it. And it wasn’t for the first time in the course of the last few weeks.“Who’s there?” He cringed at his croaking sound, raw with obvious fear. Fuck, he didn’t like the darkness. His foot met an unexpected bump in the uneven path below him, causing his large frame to nearly stumble over his own limbs. Reaching out both hands, he grabbed at the first thing he could reach —the side of a shipping container —leaning on it with his full weight as he forced his breathing to calm down.“Fuck, this isn’t funny,” he grumbled to no one in particular, half-expecting his buddies to jump out from some hidden corner with snickers and flashlights. God, he could use some light.His fingers traced the outline of the container he was still clutching onto as if his life depended on it, while he